Hawaii lawmaker switches to Democrat after criticizing Trump

HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii lawmaker who was ousted from her leadership post in the Republican Party after criticizing President Donald Trump has been accepted by the state's Democrats.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii announced Monday that a committee voted to accept Rep. Beth Fukumoto Chang over the weekend.

Fukumoto was minority leader in the Hawaii House and was considered a rising star in the Republican Party. But she upset her Republican colleagues when she called Trump a bully and said his comments were racist at the Women's March in Honolulu in January.

The unanimous vote is the final step for Fukumoto to become a Democrat. That leaves just five Republicans out of 76 lawmakers in the Hawaii Legislature.

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Fukumoto sought feedback from constituents before switching parties and says most supported her move.